Modern Foreign Languages

‘If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.’Nelson Mandela

In an increasingly competitive and challenging global marketplace the ability to speak a Modern Foreign Language is not only desirable, it can be the pathway to career enhancement. Whether socially or in a business context, educationally or for enhancing personal growth from global travel, learning a language will take you on a journey of enrichment that can endure for a lifetime.

Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) is a subject which builds on basics taught at Key Stage 2 in various feeder primary schools The Modern Foreign Languages Faculty aims to provide a rich and diverse learning experience for all students, combining sound grammatical knowledge with increased cultural awareness and encouraging creativity and independence. The department is strongly committed to making the study of a foreign language a rewarding experience for the entire ability range, so that each student will be able to achieve his/her potential. We aim to deliver courses which are enjoyable, rewarding and offer students a realistic opportunity to be successful at the highest possible level, thus providing a platform for further study.

Modern Foreign Languages - Meet the Staff

Mrs A Michalakakos

Head of Languages

French, Spanish and Italian

We have a team of dedicated and enthusiastic linguists offering GCSE qualifications in French. From September we would like to enhance and encourage the uptake of languages at GCSE by introducing Spanish in KS3 and KS4.

Year 7 & 8 French

In Year 7 and 8, students have the opportunity to study French. Over the course of the 2 years, students will follow the scheme of learning from ‘Allez’ which is an interactive digital resource that students can access from the classroom and at home via Kerboodle. They will cover the 4 skills of reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Regular assessment will take place to allow students to measure their progress against their target level. Progress is monitored carefully throughout the lesson with AFL (Assessment for Learning) as a key to target intervention where under-achievement will be indicated. Students will receive regular homework tasks and can enhance this by practising vocabulary on websites such as Languagesonline, Quizlet and tasks set on Kerboodle.

GCSE French (starts in Year 9)

Over the three years of your GCSE course, you will study all of the following themes:

Topic 2: Social issues
• Charity/voluntary work
• Healthy/unhealthy living

Topic 1: My studies

Topic 2: Life at school/college

Topic 3: Education post-16

Topic 4: Jobs, career choices and ambitions

Assessment

There are four exams at the end of the course, in Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Each exam is worth 25% of your overall grade. You are entered for the same tier (Foundation or Higher) for all four papers.

More information about each exam is given below.

Paper

Length of exam

Total marks awarded

Question types

Paper 1 – Listening

(Written exam)

35 minutes (Foundation Tier) + 5 minutes reading time /

45 minutes (Higher Tier) + 5 minutes reading time.

40 marks (Foundation Tier) / 50 marks (Higher Tier).

25% of GCSE

Foundation Tier and Higher Tier

• Section A – questions in English, to be answered in English or non-verbally
• Section B – questions in French/Spanish, to be answered in French/Spanish or non-verbally

Paper 2 – Speaking

(Oral exam)

7–9 minutes (Foundation Tier) + preparation time /

10–12 minutes (Higher Tier) + preparation time

60 marks (for each of Foundation Tier and Higher Tier)

25% of GCSE

Foundation Tier and Higher Tier

The format is the same at Foundation Tier and Higher Tier, but with different stimulus questions for the Photo card and different stimulus materials for the Role-play. The timings are different too: